Chapter 6: The Royal Academy

Chapter 6: The Royal Academy

"Brother Wang, there's something I've been keeping from you," Xue Qinghe said as they arrived in Tiandou City. He no longer intended to hide his identity.

It would be dangerous to reveal it out in the open, but within the city walls, he had fewer concerns. Besides, he would soon be escorting Wang Si to the Tiandou Royal Academy, and his identity would become known then anyway.

It was better to be upfront about it than let Wang Si find out on his own.

Wang Si was taken aback by Xue Qinghe's sudden seriousness, but he managed a polite smile. "Regardless of who you truly are, Snow Brother, you're a lofty and unattainable figure in my eyes. And if you didn't want to tell me before because it might cause trouble, then it's better that I remain unaware."

Wang Si politely refused Xue Qinghe's attempt to reveal his identity.

But Xue Qinghe merely smiled at Wang Si's concern. "Actually, many people know who I am. So when we rode into Tiandou City together in the same carriage, you already drew attention from others."

Xue Qinghe saw Wang Si's body tense at his words, and he couldn't help but laugh. However, his smile quickly faded.

"Don't worry too much," he continued. "Because of my status, not many would dare to cause you trouble, but there might be some low-level tests of your strength. What I consider low-level might still be intimidating to you, though. Don't worry, and don't feel like you're causing me problems. More importantly, don't perform poorly, or you'll be embarrassing the reputation of the Grand Prince Xue Qinghe!"

Xue Qinghe grinned at the young boy, and when he mentioned his title, he noticed the change in Wang Si's expression. It pleased him.

"You're the Grand Prince!" Wang Si exclaimed, clearly shocked.

Xue Qinghe responded with an annoyed kick to Wang Si, who had immediately knelt on one knee. "Just show some respect in front of others. When we're alone, call me Snow Brother, as usual."

As he spoke, he tried to pull Wang Si up, but embarrassingly, he didn't have the strength to do so.

Fortunately, Wang Si saved him the trouble by standing up on his own. Xue Qinghe then began to explain some of the rules of the Royal Academy to Wang Si.

As Xue Qinghe revealed his identity to Wang Si, the elderly man continued to meditate with his eyes closed. However, he was using his spiritual power to sense Wang Si's every move.

During this time, the old man frowned, smiled, and even nodded silently.

......

The carriage came to a stop.

"Go on," Xue Qinghe said. "I'll come back for you in a month."

As Wang Si alighted from the carriage, Xue Qinghe waved at him enthusiastically.

Wang Si's heart pounded as he beheld the grandeur of the Tiandou Royal Academy.

Overwhelmed by the majestic architecture, he barely registered Xue Qinghe's farewell.

Of course, Xue Qinghe's display was mostly for the benefit of the onlooking members of other factions, and it would be ideal if the power backing Wang Si took note of it.

"Hello, are you Wang Si? I'm Qin Ming, a teacher at the Tiandou Royal Academy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Just as Wang Si was marveling at the immense scale of the academy, a magnetic male voice interrupted his thoughts.

Wang Si snapped back to attention. "Nice to meet you, Teacher Qin Ming. I'm Wang Si, and I was sent here by the Grand Prince."

Qin Ming, a teacher at the Royal Academy, had been waiting at the entrance specifically because he had received prior notice from the Grand Prince of Tiandou Empire.

Initially, he had assumed that the Grand Prince was making an exception to enroll some difficult-to-please noble. But when he laid eyes on Wang Si, he realized that this young man had none of the airs or qualities of a noble. He seemed like an ordinary person.

An ordinary person, sent to the Tiandou Royal Academy by the Grand Prince himself, must have extraordinary talent.

Qin Ming favored such geniuses.

"The Grand Prince has already informed me of your arrival. Come, let me first introduce you to the other students currently at the academy."

Wang Si could only manage an embarrassed smile in response, and he proceeded to explain his situation to Qin Ming.

'You have full innate soul power but can't summon a Battle Soul?'

Qin Ming was equally astonished but quickly offered words of comfort.

'As long as you can cultivate normally and obtain soul rings, it won't hinder your future achievements. A Battle Soul is merely a tool on the path to success. Without it, you can still become a powerful Soul Master through hard work and dedication.'

Qin Ming's words were more reassuring than those of Xue Qinghe and the elderly man, but Wang Si remained unfazed. After all, he did possess a Battle Soul—the most ideal one for any Soul Master.

......

'Everyone, take a break from your training,' Qin Ming announced, clapping his hands to gather the attention of the dozen or so gifted students who had voluntarily stayed at the Royal Academy during the holidays.

All eyes turned towards the new student that Teacher Qin Ming had brought along.

'Let me introduce you to your new classmate, Wang Si,' Qin Ming said, patting Wang Si's shoulder encouragingly.

Wang Si looked up at his peers; only a handful wore extravagant clothing, while the majority donned the standard uniform of the Tiandou Royal Academy. Apparently, there were very few nobles among them.

'My name is Wang Si,' he introduced himself. 'I'm an eleven-level defensive Battle Soul Master with the Battle Soul of Bones.'

Going forward, he knew he couldn't tell everyone he had a mutated Battle Soul; that would be too embarrassing, especially in the academy, where rumors could be hurtful. So, after some consideration, Qin Ming had advised him to introduce his Battle Soul as 'Bones,' as his skeletal structure was indeed stronger than that of his peers.

While this was due to the enhancement of his first soul ring, it still sounded better than saying, 'I don't have a Battle Soul.'

In a strange twist of fate, Qin Ming had unintentionally guessed correctly, as Wang Si's Battle Soul truly was his skeletal structure.

The students' eyes widened in shock when they heard 'eleven-level.' Currently, only one of them had obtained a soul ring, while the others' soul power levels were at eight and nine.

As for Wang Si's Battle Soul being 'Bones,' the students were curious but not overly surprised, as they had encountered all sorts of peculiar Battle Souls.

After introducing Wang Si to the group, Qin Ming proceeded to explain some daily training guidelines, particularly for Wang Si's benefit.

'Yutian Heng, step forward,' Qin Ming instructed.

After demonstrating a technique, Qin Ming called out to Yutian Heng, the only student among them who had obtained a soul ring.

Eager to test his strength, Yutian Heng stepped forward, his attention focused on Wang Si. As the only soul ring bearer among his peers, Yutian Heng had been longing for a challenging sparring partner.

Noticing Yutian Heng's enthusiasm, Qin Ming dismissed the other students and pulled Yutian Heng and Wang Si to the side.

'What?! You don't have a Battle Soul?!' Yutian Heng exclaimed, shocked and disappointed upon learning the truth about Wang Si. Now that he had obtained a soul ring, it was rare for anyone to engage in an all-out fight with him.

'Don't be discouraged, Yutian,' Qin Ming consoled. 'Some of your teammates will soon reach the bottleneck, and when they obtain their first soul rings, you won't be lonely anymore.'

However, Yutian Heng wasn't comforted by Qin Ming's words. He shot a complicated glance at Wang Si before turning to leave, ready to resume his training.

Indeed, it was hard to believe that someone with full innate soul power could be so ordinary. If the price of having full soul power was the loss of his Battle Soul, Yutian Heng knew he wouldn't be happy about it either.

(End of Chapter)

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Chapter end